Mouser Electronics, Inc. is now offering the MAXREFDES150 Pocket IO™ PLC Development Platform from Maxim Integrated. Designed to address the challenges of keeping a manufacturing line running 24/7 in Industry 4.0 applications, Maxim’s latest Pocket IO programmable logic controller (PLC) development platform delivers one of the smallest form factors with one of the highest power efficiencies for next-generation PLC designs. The MAXREFDES150 integrates 30 inputs and outputs (IOs) to help maximize productivity using real-time intelligence, distributed control, and adaptive manufacturing capabilities, enabling manufacturers to improve uptime, revenue, and gross margins while optimizing yield.

The Maxim Integrated MAXREFDES150 Pocket IO PLC Development Platform, available to order from Mouser Electronics, leverages Maxim’s strong IP portfolio and analog expertise to produce a power-efficient reference design. The MAXREFDES150 integrates four analog inputs, one analog output, eight digital inputs, eight digital outputs, two RS485 busses, three encoder motor-control ports, and four IO-Link® smart sensor technology masters. In less than ten cubic inches, the MAXREFDES150 demonstrates how analog integration can enable lower heat dissipation and faster throughput. Connectivity is achieved either through USB or its own Wi-Fi network, and code can be developed to run on the Intel® Edison using the Arduino integrated development environment (IDE).

This highly robust and power-efficient reference design provides adaptive manufacturing capabilities that allow for real-time changes and adjustments to avoid potential downtime. The device’s distributed control functionality enables smart energy consumption that brings the PLC down to the manufacturing line to redistribute intelligent control and provide redundancy. The development platform includes the attach board, IO-link protocol stack, cables, and power supply. Target applications for the MAXREFDES150 include process automation, building automation, robotic control, rapidly creating and prototyping new industrial control systems, and IO-Link sensors and actuators.

With its broad product line and unsurpassed customer service, Mouser caters to design engineers and buyers by delivering What’s Next in advanced technologies. Mouser stocks the world’s widest selection of the latest semiconductors and electronic components for the newest design projects. Mouser Electronics’ website is updated many times daily and searches more than 10 million products to locate over 4 million orderable part numbers available for easy online purchase. Mouser.com also houses data sheets, supplier-specific reference designs, application notes, technical design information, and engineering tools.